Água Grande

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SÃO TOMÉ CITY

The capital of the country is, without doubt, the largest city of the entire territory. But don’t think it is a big and crowded habitation area – it is a kind of mega-village where the days are lived quietly and where the tracks of the colonial past are still there. Due to the orographic irregularity of the islands and sometimes the lack of quality of the road network, the easiest way to get around the island of São Tome is by jeep, which can be rented in one of the existing rent-a-car businesses or in the hosting Hotel. It is recommended to discover the city of São Tomé, which is flat, on foot or using rented bicycles. It is suggested that the visitor uses a padlock to lock the rear wheel whenever he/she is away from the bicycle. Rental prices should be bargained. Yellow taxis parked mainly in the square next to the Municipal Market, or motorcycle taxis can also be used. It is common share taxis with several passengers. It is recommended that the rate be negotiated and established before travelling outside the city of São Tome.

A TOUR OF THE MAGIC WORLDS LOST IN TIME

Still places where time forgot to pass, by saving rituals of nature in charming places where the days of globalization can be confused with the early days of the planet. For instance, the month of December each year; the sounds of a fancy soundtrack never recorded in any sheet music, heard in the middle of the virgin forest, the kingdom of Obo, in the center of the island, at whales, the dolphins playing in the waters between São Tomé and the islet of Rolas; the hypnotic mixture of green and blue waters and untouched vegetation in the middle of which man, for moments that he would wish to be eternal, forgets everything else.

PLACES TO VISIT

Your discovery tour of São Tomé can start in the capital city of São Tomé, the entry and exit door, as wee as the center of attraction of most of the island’s population, nearly a third – 55 000 – of the over 180 000 people across the country, including nearly six thousands of the island of Príncipe.

The islet of Cabras

If bathing in paradise scenarios are one of your perditions, prepare yourself for making difficult choices while visiting São Tome and Principe. Here’s another tip for you so as to make your choices more difficult: the islet of Cabras. It is located near the city of São Tomé, in fact it can be seen from there, and you may use a boat of a fisherman or the services of a specialized agency to take a short boat trip there. The islet of Cabras may not be more than a dock for fishing or a place that once supplied stone for construction in the capital, but it certainly is a place for unforgettable bathing, with the city of São Tome at one’s eyes.

Natural Reserve Obô

Natural Reserve Obô was established in 2006 with the aim of protecting the rich biodiversity existing in the archipelago of São Tome and Principe. It occupies an area of 295 square kilometers comprising the two main islands. The Obo Natural Park is a wildlife and flora sanctuary where many rare species can be observed, some of which are endangered. The high endemism that exists in the forest of São Tome, and its importance, led to the international scientific community to classify this forest in 1988 as the